The FSO Safer tanker moored off the coast of Yemen is a “ticking time bomb” due to risks of toxic gas and oil leaks, a maritime infrastructure expert spearheading a rescue mission has told The National.
The vessel, which holds more than 1.1 million barrels of Marib light crude oil, has prompted warnings from industry and environmental experts about the potential consequences of a spill in a region already rocked by unrest.
Donations on Thursday poured into a UN fund aimed at averting a catastrophe stemming from the quickly disintegrating ship in the Red Sea.
The conference raised more than £6 million, including a UK contribution of £2.5 million. This followed the £80 million already pledged by more than 20 other countries and a range of private sector donors.
A statement from the UK government said that the boost in funds would allow the UN to start the operation to transfer the oil on to a replacement vessel and resolve the immediate threat.
Minister for Development Andrew Mitchell said the UK had brought its total commitment to £8 million.
“This conference has made vital progress towards avoiding an environmental, economic and humanitarian catastrophe on a massive scale,” he said afterwards.
The conference welcomed a mix of pledges from governments and private firms as the UN aims to fund the delicate project that will transfer the oil safely from the FSO Safer to another vessel.
Oil companies Octavia Energy and its subsidiary, Calvalley Petroleum, announced a joint donation of £238,000 towards the mission, set to begin in the coming weeks.
The tanker has been moored 8km off Yemen’s coast since 2018, when offloading was halted by the conflict between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the Saudi-backed government.
MIT Salvage, a subsidiary of Dutch maritime services company Boskalis, last month signed an agreement with the UN Development Programme to remove the oil from the ship.
Peter Berdowski, chief executive of Boskalis, told The National the sensitivities and challenges of the operation are unique due to local factors.
“It’s a ticking time bomb in the Red Sea,” he said. “The Safer is currently controlled by the Houthis. They realise it’s a very important piece in a bigger jigsaw. It has trading and export value.
“It’s a very tricky operation because of the location. We need to make sure that all parties involved [abide by the agreement] … and all the frogs remain in the basket.
“If I was not fully confident we would not be sending our people in.”
The Houthis gave assurances to the UN that missiles will not be pointed or fired at the vessel during the rescue mission, he said.
Mr Berdowski said he expects the inspection, emptying, cleaning and removal of the ship to last up to six weeks.
“It has not been properly inspected for years,” he explained.
“It has cracks and is in a deplorable state. The exact situation it is in is unknown. We will have to make sure that there are no toxic gasses leaking. The removal of potential toxic gasses will take two weeks.
“Then we will pump the oil out into a new tanker. We will clean the tanks next with chemicals and water. Then she will be unhooked and can be towed away. We expect the total operation to last four to six weeks.”
One of Boskalis’s vessels is due to arrive in Djibouti later this month before the mission begins.
The company was involved in freeing the Ever Given container ship from the Suez Canal in 2021, when it blocked the major trading route for six days.
Simon Boxall, a lecturer at the University of Southampton’s school of ocean and earth science, told The National that any gas or oil leaks would wreak havoc on the environment.
The urgency of the rescue cannot be understated, he added.
“This needs to be done very soon,” he said. “It’s got to a stage where we are looking at a [potentially] huge environmental disaster.
“A large amount of oil is in a relative shallow and closed environment.
“The dangers are enormous. Fishing would be shut down for months and even years.”
The cost of a clean-up of an oil spill of the magnitude possible from FSO Safer has been estimated to be as high as £16 billion.
UAE-based production company the Hayel Saeed Anam Group was among those urging the private sector to donate cash to rescue the ship and avert a disaster.
Nabil Hayel Saeed Anam, HSA’s managing director for the Yemen region, said he and his team were “gravely concerned” over a potential oil spill, warning it would have a “disastrous impact on our home market of Yemen”.
It would also pour fuel on the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and exacerbate food insecurity, he added.
“A spill would also be a major humanitarian and ecological catastrophe,” he said.
“A spill would affect communities across the whole of the Red Sea region that rely on trade and economic activity in the area for their livelihoods, including Sudan, which is already facing a crisis of its own.”
Mr Anam called on decision-makers in the international private sector to “urgently step forward and contribute to the recovery effort”.
“The time to act is now,” he said.
Darran Lucas, spokesman for Octavia Energy and Calvalley Petroleum, said the donation “illustrates our commitment to Yemen and the Yemeni people”.
“The two companies continue to invest heavily in the local economy, creating jobs and helping the community through an incredibly difficult period,” he said.
“We encourage other companies from the private sector to also pledge donations for the FSO Safer salvage operation.”
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,600hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.4seconds
0-200kph in 5.8 seconds
0-300kph in 12.1 seconds
Top speed: 440kph
Price: Dh13,200,000
Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,500hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.3 seconds
0-200kph in 5.5 seconds
0-300kph in 11.8 seconds
Top speed: 350kph
Price: Dh13,600,000
More on animal trafficking
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
More coverage from the Future Forum
if you go
The flights
Air Astana flies direct from Dubai to Almaty from Dh2,440 per person return, and to Astana (via Almaty) from Dh2,930 return, both including taxes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Ritz-Carlton Almaty cost from Dh1,944 per night including taxes; and in Astana the new Ritz-Carlton Astana (www.marriott) costs from Dh1,325; alternatively, the new St Regis Astana costs from Dh1,458 per night including taxes.
When to visit
March-May and September-November
Visas
Citizens of many countries, including the UAE do not need a visa to enter Kazakhstan for up to 30 days. Contact the nearest Kazakhstan embassy or consulate.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Director: Romany Saad
Starring: Mirfat Amin, Boumi Fouad and Tariq Al Ibyari
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Dubai World Cup Carnival card
6.30pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
8.15pm: Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
8.50pm: Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
9.25pm: Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
The National selections
6.30pm: Final Song
7.05pm: Pocket Dynamo
7.40pm: Dubai Icon
8.15pm: Dubai Legacy
8.50pm: Drafted
9.25pm: Lucius Tiberius
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Brief scores:
Manchester City 3
Aguero 1', 44', 61'
Arsenal 1
Koscielny 11'
Man of the match: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%C2%A0profile
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T20 SQUADS
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.
Pakistan: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Sahibzada Farhan, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan Shinwari, Hassan Ali, Imad Wasim, Waqas Maqsood, Faheem Ashraf.
Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
Coal Black Mornings
Brett Anderson
Little Brown Book Group
WORLD'S%2010%20HIGHEST%20MOUNTAINS
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One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
